cynosure

Definition of cynosure

3: a center of attraction or attention
… they have turned an eyesore into a cynosure.— Catherine Reynolds… his rapidly increasing wealth has made him a cynosure in political circles.— Larissa MacFarquhar

Synonyms for cynosure

Did You Know?

Ancient mariners noted that all the stars in the heavens seem to revolve around a particular star, and they relied on it to guide their navigation. The constellation that this bright star appears in is known to English speakers today as Ursa Minor, or the Little Dipper, but the Ancient Greeks called it Kynosoura, a term that comes from a phrase meaning "dog's tail." Kynosoura passed into Latin and Middle French, becoming cynosure. When English speakers adopted the term in the mid-16th century, they used it as a name for the constellation and the star (which is also known as the North Star) and also to identify a guide of any kind. By the early 17th century, cynosure was also being used figuratively for anything or anyone that, like the North Star, was the focus of attention or observation.

Examples of cynosure in a Sentence

with an unwavering commitment to equal rights for all as his only cynosure
that company is the cynosure for anyone wishing to make it in the music business

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cynosure.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Note:
The reason for the Greeks' application of a compound "dog's tail" to the constellation Ursa Minor is mysterious, there being no nearby constellation called "the dog" that would seem to justify such a name. The word may have been distorted by folk etymology from a borrowed name, but if so, the source language is unknown.